As there has been a rapid growth in the use and operation of wireless communication devices, such as cellular telephones, there is a growing understanding of the impacts of these devices on our everyday life. The ability to communicate with others has been enhanced tremendously, in no small part, due to the convenience of these devices.
But there have also been some negative consequences resulting from this new convenience. In particular, there has been growing awareness and concern over the impact of cell phone use by drivers while driving vehicles. A growing number of states have passed laws prohibiting cell phone use while driving, and additional states are considering similar regulation of cell phone use. However, regulation alone cannot control the use of cell phones by drivers while driving.
A number of technological approaches have been taken to address this problem. However, all of these known approaches have at least one disadvantage. For example, some approaches require a subscription or require that the cell phone to be detected is pre-programmed. These cellphone-centric solutions only work with a cellphone that has been subscribed or pre-programmed. Such systems can be defeated by swapping the subscribed or pre-programmed cellphone with another cellphone that is not subscribed or pre-programmed. The system will also not work for any new driver of the vehicle unless the new driver's cellphone is also subscribed or pre-programmed. See U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0227601 filed by Randy Walton et al on Mar. 9, 2009, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0029675 filed by Allan Steinmetz et al on Jul. 23, 2008, for examples of previous approaches.